What is the prognosis after surgery for a retinal tear or detachment?
With modern therapy, over 90% of detachments can be successfully treated and the retina reattached. However, the visual outcome is not always predictable. The best visual result (which can approach normal) will occur if treatment takes place before the critical, center part of the retina (the macula) has detached. If the macula has already detached when the repair is undertaken, the best vision you can expect is usually poor, about 20/200. Still, the side vision in that eye can be normal, so that eye will almost always be a useful one despite its lesser acuity. Even under the best of circumstances, and even after multiple attempts at repair, treatment sometimes fails and all vision may eventually be lost.
